Holy Smokes.....Literally!
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu HI
Holy Smokes.....Literally!
Well, she's home and tucked away in the garage. Had a little drama on the way home however. I got a little ways down the road and started smelling something funny. Thought maybe there was some fluids spilled somewhere. All of a sudden I start seeing smoke....coming out the vent, under the dash....etc. Well. There must have been a crossed wire or something because there was a serious electrical burn going. I managed to get out of the left turn lane, across a couple lanes of traffic and off the road where I could pull over and turn it off. Just as I turned something popped and something hit my leg. It was a fuse. I'm assuming it is related to the lights because I don't have brake lights now.
Thank goodness there was no top on the car. I would have died from smoke before I could get out of the middle of traffic. Add to it, I have asthma.
As soon as the pop happened it started to quit. Restarted the car and no more smoke, but no break or turn signal lights.
Looking under the dash, the entire car needs to be rewired. My chihuahuas could have rewired that car better. All you see is loose wires hanging down. No damn wonder there was a freaking fire. I'm just glad there were no flames.
So.....now the drama is done, here's a few pics:
Last but not least, His and Hers
Thank goodness there was no top on the car. I would have died from smoke before I could get out of the middle of traffic. Add to it, I have asthma.
As soon as the pop happened it started to quit. Restarted the car and no more smoke, but no break or turn signal lights.
Looking under the dash, the entire car needs to be rewired. My chihuahuas could have rewired that car better. All you see is loose wires hanging down. No damn wonder there was a freaking fire. I'm just glad there were no flames.
So.....now the drama is done, here's a few pics:
Last but not least, His and Hers
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,146
Army
Believe me you dodged a bullet. Electrical fires are no joke in these old cars and have sent many a nice one to the scrap heap. Definitely straighten out the wiring and most of us C1 owners add the add'l fusing that GM seems to have forgotten. There are many threads on this forum on the topic.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,777
Likes: 4,592
From: Canada's capital
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C1 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
You're lucky! I guess checking the wiring should be on the list when checking out a car. That would be a tragedy if a pretty car like that went up in flames. Order a new harness and don't screw with bubba's handiwork.....throw it out! 
PS....there are harness makers that will custom make one for you with all the mods if any built right in. Hotrodders use them all the time.
PS....there are harness makers that will custom make one for you with all the mods if any built right in. Hotrodders use them all the time.
Last edited by Kerrmudgeon; Jun 13, 2012 at 07:30 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,730
Likes: 92
From: Lakeland FL
Bummer on the fire. I've had two and the smoke can get real bad real quick. Good news is your dash is REAL easy to work under, plus you don't have the ignition shielding as a potential source of shorting. The car had a dead short somewhere. I would look at wiper cables, cowl vent linkage, and plug wire holders for signs of shorting out. I would expect your car to have a new stock or aftermarket wiring harness; if not, You definitely need one now. A wiring savvy mechanic should be able to figure out the cause and do the cure.
Don't forget the additional fusing, it can save a car.
Don't forget the additional fusing, it can save a car.
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 67
Likes: 2
From: Delta B.C.
Inmyblood, you beat me to it. How many guys/gals carry a fire extinguisher in their corvette. Put a value on your car and then decide if you would rather reach for an extinguisher or a bucket to bring the car home. Common sense. Also remember to periodically check the date etc on it. $20.00 - $30.00 well invested.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 830
Likes: 2
From: 6000' up in the mountains CA
Inmyblood, you beat me to it. How many guys/gals carry a fire extinguisher in their corvette. Put a value on your car and then decide if you would rather reach for an extinguisher or a bucket to bring the car home. Common sense. Also remember to periodically check the date etc on it. $20.00 - $30.00 well invested.
....have one in each of my 3 oldies. The OP came verryyy close to losing the whole car
Safety Car
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,921
Likes: 46
From: So Cal
Inmyblood, you beat me to it. How many guys/gals carry a fire extinguisher in their corvette. Put a value on your car and then decide if you would rather reach for an extinguisher or a bucket to bring the car home. Common sense. Also remember to periodically check the date etc on it. $20.00 - $30.00 well invested.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu HI
I will be getting a fire extinguisher POST HASTE. That really sucked. I'm still having trouble breathing. Maybe I need to have one of those airplane oxygen masks installed too! Sheesh.
The wiring has to be pri one right now because I can't pass inspection without brake lights
.
I've never been inside a classic Vette. Are the seats supposed to be adjustable? Mine are bolted to the darn floor. I can reach the pedals but I'm not comfortable so my husband is going to have to fix that too. Thankfully it's an automatic so I don't have to worry about the clutch but with the break being so different from my Solstice, I would feel better being closer to the pedals.
The wiring has to be pri one right now because I can't pass inspection without brake lights
. I've never been inside a classic Vette. Are the seats supposed to be adjustable? Mine are bolted to the darn floor. I can reach the pedals but I'm not comfortable so my husband is going to have to fix that too. Thankfully it's an automatic so I don't have to worry about the clutch but with the break being so different from my Solstice, I would feel better being closer to the pedals.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,236
Likes: 113
From: Oakland, Maine
You might check Grossmuellers or Mary Jo at Vettegal on Ebay. Before you do I might suggest that you sit down. Prices for things connected to these early (53-55) cars are breath-taking. Bill
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,777
Likes: 4,592
From: Canada's capital
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C1 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
To answer your question, yes, the normal seats are movable on a track like all cars. The guy must have removed the track on those non stock seats to get more head room in the car.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu HI
Kerrmudgeon,
That's probably what he did. I'm going to be the only driver so for now we'll have to adjust them to fit me until we can return them to original state.
To answer the question about it being a Kit Car....not familiar with the lingo but I can tell you that this car has a production number and it is a restored vehicle. The person that restored it cut some corners which we will be repairing over time as I'm able to find the correct parts and pieces. The motor and tranny will stay as is. I love how it sounds.
That's probably what he did. I'm going to be the only driver so for now we'll have to adjust them to fit me until we can return them to original state.
To answer the question about it being a Kit Car....not familiar with the lingo but I can tell you that this car has a production number and it is a restored vehicle. The person that restored it cut some corners which we will be repairing over time as I'm able to find the correct parts and pieces. The motor and tranny will stay as is. I love how it sounds.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu HI
First, sorry I can't quote...for some reason the page isn't loading right at work.
Mainedoc,
Thank you. I'm sure on the prices. Thankfully the car is in overall good condition so other than the safety issues, I'm not in a hurry to change things. Just going to make a list and do a little at a time.
Mainedoc,
Thank you. I'm sure on the prices. Thankfully the car is in overall good condition so other than the safety issues, I'm not in a hurry to change things. Just going to make a list and do a little at a time.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu HI
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnZ
Those aren't Corvette seats - they look like they're out of some much later GM car.
Originally Posted by b.lee
And the steering wheel looks like it's from an older chevy lumina
yes and it's fugly and one of the first things that will be GONE as soon as I can find a suitable replacement.
Originally Posted by JohnZ
Those aren't Corvette seats - they look like they're out of some much later GM car.
Originally Posted by b.lee
And the steering wheel looks like it's from an older chevy lumina
yes and it's fugly and one of the first things that will be GONE as soon as I can find a suitable replacement.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 356
Likes: 15
From: western nc/northern va nc/va